Archive for February 13, 2015

1. Be resolute to hear God’s voice. We need to know what God wants us to do.

2. Be resolute in spiritual discipline. Important to carry out the basic regularly.

3. Be resolute in holding fast in our confession. Our word has to agree with God’s word. Heb 3:1 He is the High Priest of our confession

4. Be resolute to draw near with confidence. Heb 4:16 Boldly: Confidently. Confidence comes by knowing who we are in God. We are the children of God. We come to throne of God to obtain mercy and grace. Mercy: Compassion because we are imperfect. Grace: Favor from God which we cannot earn. We can come boldly and God will respond. We are not beggars. God wants the best for us as well. Don’t limit what God can do for us.

5. Be resolute to become spiritually mature. Heb 6:1 Perfection here isn’t sinless. It means maturity, fulfillment of calling in God, holiness. We should always be led by the Holy Spirit.

Gen 3:15 It was prophetic word of the conflict between Christ and the devil. The announcement starts with preparation in OT and is manifested in the Gospel. Lord Jesus rebuked the Pharisee for not knowing Him. The announcement continues with propagation and transition in Acts. Even though we are Gentiles, we should understand the Gospel in the Jewish context. The announcement continues with explanation in the Epistles to reconcile law and grace. The announcement then ends in consummation in the Revelation. Lord Jesus, after resurrection, opened the disciples’ understanding of OT as it speaks of Him.

Everything God does, He does it on a pattern and it is based on a principle. Pattern: Model/blueprint/design for the way things happen or are done. Principles: Broad and basic truth. Pattern: The way things happen. Principles: Why things happen

Exodus 25:2-3, 8-9 These items are for the building of the Tabernacle. This is a serious instruction as God wanted Moses to follow a pattern. This pattern speaks of the way people approach God, about body-soul-spirit of humanity.

Mark 4:13 30, 60, 100 fold. This shows the level of commitment. We can move from 30% or 60% commitment to 100% commitment. We need to understand the parable of the shower before understanding the rest of the parables. With patterns and principles, we can unlock the mystery of the Bible.

Give and it shall be given to you. Life reciprocates. No one gets away with anything. Principle in human relationship: We shorten distance by withholding affection. We create distance by giving affection.

Mark 4:26-28 Pattern: Everything begins in seed form and then grows into experience. Life is a process. We should be committed to the process and not only the end result. God’s pattern for progress is the pattern for promotion. When we do well in one pattern, God promotes us into the next level. Promotion requires change. Change means we become different. Don’t ask God to promote us if we aren’t willing to change. Don’t pray for above-average pay if we are not willing to become above-average workers.

The Bible is filled with patterns on decision making and human relationship. We need to spend time understanding it.